Opening day abandoned due to dangerous MCG pitch

The first day of Victoria's Marsh Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia has been abandoned due to a dangerous MCG pitch in a worrying sign ahead of the upcoming Boxing Day Test.

After a series of deliveries reared up and struck WA batsmen on the body on the opening day of the four-day clash, play was called off with the visitors 3-89 after 40 overs less than an hour into the second session.

SCORECARD: Victoria v Western Australia, MCG

Umpires held a lengthy conversation with the two captains Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh (who'd made 14 off 57 balls and was struck multiple times), along with chief curator Matt Page, after a ball from Andrew Fekete struck Marcus Stoinis in the ribs.

That delivery proved the final straw with the first day officially called off later in the afternoon.

Officials are hopeful of starting at 10am local time on Sunday's second day but it remains to be seen whether the wicket will be deemed to safe to play on.

Page spent about an hour rolling the pitch on Saturday afternoon in a bid to flatten out divots that had formed on the surface and which had caused balls to bounce violently. 

Saturday’s incident will be of major concern to CA with the second Domain Test against New Zealand at the MCG less than three weeks away. 

The game is the last one at the MCG before the Second Domain Test between Australia and New Zealand starts on December 26.

The MCG pitch has come under heavy scrutiny in recent times for having the complete opposite problem – it has previously been deemed too lifeless. 

Following the 2017-18 drawn Ashes Test in Melbourne, the International Cricket Council gave the wicket an unprecedented 'poor' rating for providing so little assistance to bowlers. That was bumped up to an 'average' rating for last summer's Test against India. 

Playing conditions for the Sheffield Shield dictate that if an abandoned game can't be rescheduled or relocated, points will be split between the two sides. 

Visiting teams in abandoned matches had previously been awarded six points, the same amount a team gets for a win. 

But after Victoria were awarded full points after a game at the SCG in 2015 was called off due to an unsafe outfield, Cricket Australia changed the rules for the following season.

The amendment sees sides receive three points each in addition to "the average total bonus points that were accumulated per team across the other two matches played in the round of the abandoned match".